Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Incredible iPhone App: Air Mouse

Got a heads up from one Kevin C. Tofel at jkOnTheRun (http://www.jkontherun.com/2008/09/airmouse-turns.html) about an app that enables an iPhone to function as a trackpad, keyboard and accelerometer-controlled mouse for a PC over a local wifi network. Sounded like a great way for me to control my tablet in TV mode, and it is.

Basically, I sometimes connect my tablet to my TV to watch video from the web or iTunes. Problem with that is the cables for power, video, and USB (for audio) make it impossible to control my tablet in slate mode on the couch where I watch TV, and my wireless mouse is tough to control without a flat surface. Hence, a handheld trackpad with motion control holds great appeal.

The app works extremely well. Requires installing a server app on the PC to be controlled with settings for sensitivity, so it can be set differently for different computers. It lacks multi-touch control so you can't hold down a mouse button and move the cursor simultaneously. Keyboard is limited to the iPhone standard, so no ctrl or alt keys. Hopefully those shortcomings will be lifted in future versions, but even with them, Air Mouse (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289616509&mt=8) is a great control system.[+/-] Hide/Show Text[+/-] Hide/Show Text